Mongol invasions of the Levant

The Mongol invasions of the Levant occurred from 1260 to 1323 when the Mongols conquered the Levant, conquering the Abbasid capital of Baghdad and several Ayyubid cities in Syria. They were checked by the Mamelukes at the Battle of Ain Jalut, and they would remain the region until their eviction in 1323.

Wars
After the Sack of Baghdad in February 1258, Hulegu Khan pushed forward towards Syria, fighting against the Ayyubids, who had recently lost Egypt to the Mamelukes. Hulegu was joined by Georgian, Armenian, and crusader troops, and on 18 January 1260, Aleppo was besieged and destroyed by the Mongols. The cities of Homs and Damascus willingly surrendered, sparing themselves from destruction. However, Mongke died during his war with the Song in China, halting the massive Mongol campaigns. Hulegu left the Levant for Mongolia as civil war loomed, and he left Kitbuqa in command of a tumen stationed in the region. The Mamelukes were at peace with the Mongols, but they had Mongol envoys killed after Hulegu left, knowing that he had taken half of his army with him. Kitbuqa failed to ally with the crusader states, and, as he marched to meet Sultan Qutuz's invading Egyptian army in Palestine, a Damascene revolt slowed his progress south. The Mamelukes camped outside of Acre, and Kitbuqa led out 25,000 Mongol, Georgia, and Armenian troops across the River Jordan to Ain Jalut, where David had slain Goliath. In the ensuing Battle of Ain Jalut, the Mameluke general Baibars lured the Mongols into a trap with a feigned retreat, and the Mongol army was annihilated. The Mamelukes now became the most significant Muslim power of their time, and Mongol succession conflicts delayed their response.